General Questions

Q: What does Responsive Law do?A: We fight to combat the access-to-justice crisis across America by promoting legal education, as well as affordable and accessible legal help. As the only organization representing individuals in the legal system, we hold a unique position in championing access to legal education and innovative legal services.

Our Executive Director, Tom Gordon, has been featured in the 2017 Fastcase50 list of "the year’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries, and leaders in the law."

Q: What progress has Responsive Law made?Expanding Consumer Choice in Legal ServicesStarting in 2013, Responsive Law played an instrumental role in the veto of California Assembly Bill 888, as we submitted comments opposing the bill that would have given the State Bar of California additional incentive to pursue civil lawsuits against those it considered engaged in the unauthorized practice of law. As a result, Californians using legal document preparers, tax preparers, and financial planners (among others) will have less reason to worry that the bar will shut these valued service providers down for UPL violations.

Fighting Lawyer Self-RegulationIn 2014, we filed a brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case of North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners v. Federal Trade Commission. The case concerned whether dentists on the state licensing board are exempt from antitrust law for banning non-dentists from providing teeth-whitening services, with important implications for the regulation of the legal profession and whether anyone besides lawyers will be allowed to provide legal services. The position of dental examiners in this case is comparable to that of lawyers who regulate the legal profession through state bar associations. In both cases, a group of professionals that has a financial self-interest in excluding outsiders has been given the power to regulate the profession. Unsurprisingly, in the case of both dentists and lawyers, the professionals have used this power to exclude outsiders. It is the public who suffers by being forced to pay higher prices for these services. The court agreed with our position, deciding that professional organizations can be liable for antitrust violations when they act in this manner. As a result of the Court's decision, state bars now have to be at least somewhat restrained in their monopolistic activity, as state governments will have to maintain active supervision of their regulatory activity. We're still a long way from a truly open market in legal services. But this is an important step in expanding consumer options beyond the traditional use of a lawyer.

Making Consumer Voices HeardIn 2015, our Executive Director Tom Gordon was chosen as the only representative of a consumer organization to attend the American Bar Association's National Summit on Innovation in Legal Services. The summit, held at Stanford University in May, brought together about 200 leaders from the bar, legal technology companies, and legal service providers. While the invitation to the summit confirmed that the bar recognizes the important role that Responsive Law plays in representing consumers of legal services, Gordon was cautious about the summit's prospects for bringing about change. "Although it's encouraging to see members of the bar interested in legal innovations that can help the public, many of the bar leaders I spoke with felt constrained by their membership with respect to implementing substantive changes to the way lawyers are regulated." Gordon continued, "Those attending this summit meeting should be the most interested in transforming the legal profession, and if they are reluctant to lead the profession towards the future, then we will have to continue to drag it there, kicking and screaming."

Providing Access to Legal ResourcesIn 2016, to further our engagement with consumers and the general public, we launched a new portal to continue engaging and connecting with consumers, gathering affordable, high-quality legal resources into one easily accessible location. Partners in the legal services portal provide legal assistance at rates affordable to the average American. Our portal contains industry leaders such as Avvo, LegalZoom, LegalShield, and more.

Looking at to the current year and beyond, we will continue fighting for legal innovation through rule changes, education, and advocacy. We look forward to continued progress in the legal industry as we work tirelessly to implement change and advocate for consumers' rights.

Individual Questions

Q: How can I trust a non-lawyer to help me with my problems?A:​ A non-lawyer would probably have some sort of education or certificate to qualify them in legal document preparation or other legal work. This means a non-lawyer doesn't necessarily have to go to law school, but the non-lawyer does have some legal educational background. Responsive Law supports qualified individuals who provide innovative legal sources at lower cost and greater convenience for the average individual.

Q: Where can I find affordable legal help right now?A: Click here to see our list of recommended legal resources, and click here for our advice on finding and hiring a lawyer.

Q: How can I stay updated on what Responsive Law is doing?A: Follow our blog, subscribe to our newsletter, like us on Facebook, and tweet us @ResponsiveLaw!​​Q: How can I help support Responsive Law?A: We appreciate each and every one of our donors. Thank you all for helping us accomplish our vision of a more just and accessible legal system! Donate to support our mission here. ​